MH17 Update: Witnesses Saw Russian Military Troops Operated a Missile Launcher on Day of Crash
Speculations about the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 continue with eyewitness seeing Russians manning a BUK missile launcher near the spot where the plane was shot down from the sky. According to the BBC program Panorama, two witnesses came forward to claim they saw people who appeared to be part of the Russian military operating the weapon.
One witness observed how soldiers with the missile launcher looked "well-disciplined" and wore uniforms different from the ones seen on Ukrainian troops and rebels. The witnesses revealed the soldiers had "pure Russian accents" and notice they pronounce the letter "G" differently. The civilian witness told BBC that another officer had a Muscovite accent.
Earlier reports said eyewitnesses had seen a missile launcher in Snezhynoye on the day the plane was shot down. The pro-Russia separatists denied owning a missile launcher while Russia accused Ukraine of causing the crash. The MH17 disaster killed 298 people including 38 passengers from Australia on July 17.
The European Union had quickly proposed sanctions against Russia as a punishment for its role in the conflict in Ukraine. Australia also added more sanctions a few weeks ago. Russia had denied any direct involvement in the Ukraine conflict. However, reports said, there is mounting evidence of Russia's active role.
Dutch investigators have revealed in an official report that MH17 was hit by "high energy objects." According to reports, the plane may have broken up over eastern Ukraine after hard objects slammed the cockpit. The force of impact may have caused the aircraft to break into pieces before crashing to the ground.
The Dutch Safety Board released its preliminary findings about the possible events leading to the MH17 crash. The plane's flight recorder showed no data of "aircraft system warnings." Investigators did not find any record of malfunctions. They concluded that the flight recorder stopped recording data abruptly with the pilot's last words of acknowledging air traffic control's routine instruction.
Russian state media had previously alluded that Ukraine was responsible for the downing of MH17. Two months after the crash, wreckage of the plane is still scattered on the fields with numerous objects littering the ground from suitcases, oxygen masks and passenger seats.